Gorgonzola is a blue Italian cheese with mold. For many people, a product is disgusted by its appearance alone. But real gourmets know that this is an expensive delicacy, distinguished by its special taste and aroma. Such cheese can be made exclusively in places of its traditional production. This place is Italy. It is here that the village of the same name is located, thanks to which the product got its name several centuries ago.
The story of the appearance of gorgonzola
Gorgonzola is a hard cheese that came about by accident. The predecessor of this delicacy is cheese, which is called "starkino". Translated from Italian, the name means "tired." With this concept, the origin of the Gorgonzola proper is associated.
Around the village of Gorgonzola constantly grazing cows that descended from the mountains. The peasants derived their own benefit from this: they milked the cows, and then they made cheese from the milk they received. According to legend, once a peasant was very tired and because of this violated the order of manufacture of the dish. So that no one would notice, he decided to combine fresh milk with raw cheese dough. In the end, he got moldy cheese. The product instantly captivated Italian gourmets with a piquant taste and spiciness of aroma. Modern gorgonzola - this is the very, accidentally obtained, moldy cheese.
Useful properties of blue cheese
Gorgonzola is a nutritious cheese that has a mass of nutrients. So, a quality product is enriched with easily digestible fats, proteins, vitamins and other elements important for the human body.
This delicacy is a highly effective antioxidant, and mold enhances the protective functions of the body and has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
Two varieties of delicacy
Gorgonzola cheese, the photo of which can be viewed in the article, comes in two varieties: Cremificato (Gorgonzola Dolce) and Gorgonzola Piccante.
The first variety is a tender and young cheese, sweetish in taste. The product fully ripens in just two months.
Gorgonzola Piccante matures in approximately four months. Cheese is characterized by a rich and pungent taste, dense texture.
Both varieties have a cross section in white or cream color with streaks of blue-green mold. But in a mature product, the number of such veins is much larger and a crust with an appetizing reddish tone is inherent in it.
Cooking blue cheese at home
Not everyone can afford to buy real Gorgonzola cheese (a home-made recipe is described later). After all, it is expensive. But to cook a product at home is quite realistic, albeit for a long time. For the recipe you will need 16 liters of milk, half a teaspoon of lactic acid cultures, calcium chloride and liquid rennet, 1/8 teaspoon of mold and a little sea salt.
It is necessary to pour half of the whole portion of milk into a large pan and heat it in a hot water bath to 32 degrees over medium heat, constantly stirring slightly with liquid. Then, half the lactic acid cultures are spread on the surface of the heated milk and left to coagulate for five minutes. After this period, movements with the top down move the slotted spoon to the bottom of the culture so that the milk itself does not shake.
With 50 milliliters of cold water, dilute calcium chloride and pour it into milk. Again, they are manipulated with the same movements as when adding lactic acid cultures. Rennet is also diluted and added, and then the whole mixture is aged 20 minutes. A long cheese blade is inserted into the resulting cottage cheese at a 30-degree angle. The chopped product must be cut into two-centimeter cubes. The resulting figures are left for five minutes to separate the serum.
Then you need to mix the curd until its amount decreases. All that remains, put in a bag of gauze and hang over the sink for the night. The next day, you need to carry out the entire procedure described above with the remaining portion of milk. Then the two norms of cottage cheese are mixed, sprinkled with mold and salt, and the resulting product is aged for three months in a special plastic container.
The best pizza in the world
Incredibly delicious is pizza with gorgonzola and pear, for the preparation of which you will need semolina, flour, salt, gorgonzola and cream cheese, cream, olive oil, pear, sugar and yeast.
First you need to cook the dough: in a saucepan, mix the dry yeast with sugar, salt and water. Then add flour and semolina and knead the dough. Cover the baking sheet with parchment. While the dough will "grow", you need to peel the pears and cut them into slices. Roll out the “grown” dough and put it on a baking sheet. Lubricate this base with cream cheese and cream sauce, spread pears and gorgonzola on top. Sprinkle raw pizza with sugar and bake for 40 minutes. The finished dish is sprayed with olive oil.
Tender sauce
In addition to pizza with gorgonzola, you can cook a wonderful cream sauce, which will provide new flavors of vegetables, escalope, pasta or boiled potatoes.
The right ingredients:
- Gorgonzola - 200 grams.
- Cream 20% fat - one hundred milliliters.
- Lemon juice - two tablespoons.
- Ground black pepper and nutmeg.
The cream is heated at minimum heat, add the cheese, mashed with a fork, to them, then increase the heat and simmer the composition at an average level for eight minutes, stirring regularly.
After eight minutes, the mixture is removed from the stove and, while stirring, pour spices and juice. Here is an excellent dressing for the main dishes is ready.